Graham Greene is widely regarded as one of the most prominent figures in British literature. His action-packed novels were immediately accepted by the public. Some of the writer's works were successfully filmed. In writing, Greene was assisted by a wealth of life experience and observation.
From the biography of Graham Greene
The future famous writer was born in Berkhamsted (Great Britain) on October 2, 1904 in a large family. Graham's father was the director of one of the most privileged English schools.
Since childhood, Greene had a passion for adventure literature. The future writer did not develop relationships with other schoolchildren, conflicts constantly arose. As a result, the parents transferred Green to homeschooling, after which they sent the boy to college at Oxford University.
Writing career: first steps
After graduating from college, Graham got a job as a journalist in the editorial office of one of the magazines, and then was a freelance correspondent for the Times newspaper.
At the age of twenty-two, Greene broke with the Church of England and converted to Catholicism. It is believed that he did this in order to fulfill the requirement of the parents of a classmate with whom he was in love: they agreed to marriage only after Green's change of religion.
Green's first literary work was The Man Inside (1929). The public liked the book, after which Graham seriously thought about the career of a writer. He plunged into literary creation. Soon the thrilling detective stories "Istanbul Express", "Trustee", "The Office of Fear", "Hired Killer" saw the light of day. Greene himself considered his books to be entertaining.
In the 1930s, the aspiring writer visited Mexico and Liberia. Green's travels outside his home country made a strong impression on him. The result was two books with travel notes.
In 1940, Graham published his best novel, Strength and Glory. The book provoked a sharp protest from religious leaders: it told about the ministry of a degraded Catholic priest.
Graham Greene after the war
When World War II broke out, Greene was recruited into the British intelligence service. He happened to work in Sierra Leone and Portugal. Officially, he was listed as an employee of the foreign policy department. His work in intelligence helped Graham Greene create a series of action-packed novels that readers received with enthusiasm.
When the war ended, Green was sent to Indochina. He became a correspondent for one of the popular magazines. The events of those years formed the basis of the novel "The Quiet American".
In subsequent years, Green has been to "hot spots" more than once. He met with prominent politicians, including the leaders of dictatorial regimes. The writer's political predilections have changed more than once throughout his life. But at all times he could not accept any form of violence and arbitrariness. Greene was revolted by colonial, fascist regimes, racism and religious hatred.
A number of Green's works formed the basis of films. The film "The Third Man", based on the novel by the writer, is considered one of the best in British cinema. In 1950, Greene was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay for The Defeated Idol. In the end, he did not receive the award, but the film won widespread public recognition.
In the 60s, Green was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. However, the organizers of the award rejected his candidacy because they did not agree with the political views of the writer.
The last period of the writer's life is associated with Switzerland. Here on April 3, 1991, Graham Greene passed away.
